A MARRIED woman teacher who was filmed performing a sex act on a 15-year-old pupil was this afternoon cleared of sexual activity with a child.

Rebecca Poole, aged 26, had admitted giving the boy oral sex in a drama studio at the Birmingham school where she taught, but said she did so under duress.

She said the boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, held a screwdriver to the back of her neck and made threats to harm her family.

A jury at Birmingham Crown Court took just over an hour to clear Poole unanimously of three counts of sexual activity with a child, and one count of abuse of trust.

Drama teacher Poole, dressed in a black suit and white shirt, trembled visibly as the foreman of the jury rose to speak, and wept in the dock as not guilty verdicts on all charges were returned.

Poole, of May Lane, Hollywood, near Wythall, Worcs, was arrested in October last year when the boy's parents found the video on his mobile phone.

The jury of seven men and five women rejected the prosecution's claims that Poole and the boy had enjoyed a consensual sexual relationship lasting several months, during which they had sex in Poole's husband's Porsche on a number of occasions.

Her husband Dacey, with whom she has an 11-week-old baby daughter Maya, and other members of her relieved family also broke down in tears.

Her father said "Thank you" to the jury as they left Courtroom Ten at Birmingham Crown Court.

Outside court she hugged and kissed her 26-year-old husband, who runs his own building company.

When asked how she felt about the verdict she replied: "I'm happy, ecstatic and delighted."

Her solicitor Andrea Jones said: "My client has asked us to say she is extremely grateful to the jury for their careful and considerate approach to the evidence of this case.

"As you can imagine it's been a very difficult 12 months for her.

"She very much wants to thank her family and friends for their unwavering support, in particular her husband for his support and loyalty throughout.

"She's very tired now and has asked you to respect her privacy for the next day or so."

She will spend the next few days deciding whether she will return to the profession she dreamed of being a member of since she was young.

But while giving evidence she said: "I will never ever teach again because of what he has done to me. This was a career I had wanted all my life, worked so hard for, and he has taken that away from me."

She was arrested in October last year when the boy's parents found the video on his mobile phone.

The youngster told the court that he had enjoyed a consensual sexual relationship during the autumn term last year.

During that time the teenager said they had sex in Poole's husband's Porsche on a number of occasions and she willingly performed the sex act on him.

When she took the stand, Mrs Poole, who married Dacey in July last year, said he had forced her to perform the act when she refused to hand over money he had been demanding from her.

She told the jury the pupil stood over her, pushed her down and grabbed her hair and held the screwdriver to the back of her neck.

Fighting back the tears, she said: "I felt really, really frightened. I remember looking into his face and realising he was so confident in what he was doing, that I had no way out."

After the pupil left the classroom, she broke down in tears. "I was devastated, completely and utterly devastated," she added.

Mrs Poole told the court she did not realise the pupil had filmed the incident on his mobile phone until she was arrested.

When asked by David Mason, defending, how she felt, she added: "Because it's a video clip of me being sexually assaulted, I felt shocked that he would want to video that and brag about it."

Poole said she could not bring herself to tell anyone about it, because she was so upset and embarrassed and "didn't want anyone to know".

The court also heard how Poole had complained on five previous occasions of pupils who had either pinched, grabbed or touched her bottom between 2002 and 2005.

A sixth pupil was expelled in November 2004 after striking Poole in the face as he attempted to steal masks.

Dacey Poole said she continued working at the school because she thought she could help troubled children.

Mr Poole said: "She was always devastated by the incidents, but she thought she should just get over them. She felt she could do some good."

The boy's family, who were also visibly upset at the verdict, made no comment as they left court.